In the name of God
Message from the president
In our country, over 20 schools and academic groups are active in the field of education, either in public or private universities. In many of these institutes curriculum studies is offered at different levels including doctoral level. The number of faculty members, holding Ph D degree in this special field, crosses a few dozen and the graduates holding lower degrees exceed a few hundred.
The necessity of establishing a comprehensive and independent body that would draw on and fully benefit from the academic and professional capabilities of a rather large community thus mentioned was felt intensely and was followed devotedly by some of the more active members of the community. Several other members followed this lead which culminated in the birth of Iranian Curriculum Studies Association (ICSA), initially known as Iranian Curriculum Development Association (ICDA), in 1999.
This new entity quickly gained recognition and was transformed into an active academic NGO in the realm of humanities within a short span of time.
This level of achievement in such a short time is indeed unusual in Iran and is, no doubt, commendable. However, the association is aiming for a much stronger academic and social status which has been spelled out in its strategic plan (2007-2017). The section on the vision contains the following statement:
"ICSA is a non-profit non-governmental body in the specialized field of curriculum, comprised of specialists and graduates, who collectively endeavor to expand domain- specific knowledge, produce local knowledge and improve the quality of deliberations and policies as well as educational performance at all levels of formal and non-formal education. This is done through cooperation and collaboration with relevant national, regional and international bodies and organizations and by relying on the latest academic knowledge and research findings, culminating to the association's recognition as an authority in the field of curriculum studies both at national and regional level."
Iran and the Iranian citizens are worthy of having an association with such characteristics in the field of curriculum. The quality and quantity of specialists and graduates are the invaluable capital that could be relied on for reaching this end. An association with such quality would definitely have more potential for meaningful and long lasting impact on, both, further development of the education system of the country, as well as the promotion of the field itself.

Mahmoud Mehrmohammadi (PhD)
President of ICSA